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Birding Hongbenghe, Yunnan (Part 1)

10,000 Birds

Given that according to the HBW, the species prefers dense primary and secondary montane forests, the note that the bird also forages among kitchen waste (in the same HBW entry) seems somewhat incongruous. His obituary was published in Nature. Quite possibly, this laughingthrush is now locally extinct in Switzerland or at least in Basel.

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The return of the Old Man

10,000 Birds

There’s something wonderfully primeval about the Northern Bald Ibis: it has the look of a bird that really ought to be extinct. The fact that it’s not is quite surprising, as this curious bird has come very close to the brink. Sadly, they no longer breed in Algeria, while in Turkey no free-flying birds remain. (In

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The Amusing Case of the Gulf Breeze Zoo Canada Geese

10,000 Birds

Next door to my hometown, the Gulf Breeze Zoo occupies 50 acres near the Santa Rosa Sound. Multiple varieties of ungulates jogged from place to place, while giant rhea birds stalked around looking for food. A few weeks later, I returned to the zoo, and sure enough, the nest was empty. Had they merely hatched?

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15 Australian Birds (Episode 3)

10,000 Birds

According to a bird guide published in 1911, “Competent authorities have proposed to divide the world, biologically, into two parts – Australia and the rest of the world, and they have considered Australia the more interesting part.” The species was bred at the zoo of Memphis, Tennesee ( source ). chocolate-bird (??),

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Angry Birds, What’s Black and White and Hungry All Over, and a Little Something for the Ladies: This Week in Bird News

10,000 Birds

If there’s one common theme to this week’s bird news items, it’s their collective bizarreness: The eagle has landed—on the drone, as France trains birds to take out drones that stray into restricted airspace. Scientists ponder the feasibility of genetically engineering chickens to lay the eggs of endangered bird species.

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Questionable Practices at the Calgary Zoo

Critter News

Another animal dies at the Calgary Zoo and more questions are being raised about their practices. I don't track zoos, but this seems like an unusually high number of casualties. In April 2009, unseasonably cold weather froze two whopping crane eggs. They were a part of the zoo’s breeding program for the rare birds.

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Birding Esopus Bend Nature Preserve

10,000 Birds

This past weekend had the family and me visiting my folks for Easter in my hometown of Saugerties, New York, “Where,&# as the slogan says, “The Catskills Meet the Hudson.&# Because I am an absurdly early riser of late I had some time before breakfast on Sunday to get out for some birding. Nah, impossible!** You know, sunlight?

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